Back several years ago i was at a friends house and saw an old canoe in the "trash" pile. I could tell at one time it was a looker. I asked him how such a fine canoe had gotten in such bad shape. He told me his Brother in Law had bought the canoe new and used it once. He turned it over to dry on the side of his lake and die a few days later. It had been sitting out there for years and just rotted. His sister was selling the place and had my friend come over to get it and put it on his burn pile where it was to be burned at the next bonfire. I offered to buy it from him and he told me if I had a way to haul it I could just have it. The Canoe was 17 feet long, I went home and removed the seats from my little boat and used it as a hauler with the canoe hanging off both ends...
I did not make many pictures of it like I have done the tractor but this was after I had pressure washed it.
2007 June 20th Canoe (3).JPG2007 June 20th Canoe (4).JPG
I did some research and found out the company was in Tennessee and still making canoes. I called them and gave them the serial numbers off the hull. I found out the top rail inside was 1"X1" American Ash, the front and back "V's" or deck was 1" thick Brazilian Cherry and the outer top rails were 1/2" X 1" American Cherry...
Now the task was to find a 17 foot one inch thick board of Ash and Cherry that I could cut the top rails out of. Due to the fact that a canoe has a bend up and a curve in on the sides I knew the pieces would have to be solid or one piece. Long story short I special ordered 18" boards of each wood and began the project.
2007 Aug. Canoe (3).jpg2007 Aug. Canoe (5).jpg
One of the hardest parts of this project was fact that I had to "bend" the wood both in and up... I did not have a steamer to steam the wood and I knew if I tried to bend it dry it would just break. So after ripping the pieces I needed I took a 20 foot piece of PVC conduit and solid capped off one end and put a screw cap on the other so I could remove that end and put the wood in it. I put a fitting in the middle of the PVC that I could hook to a worm much like a still worm and pump steam in. Long story short it worked like a charm. The first piece I steamed was ash and I think even though it was 1"X1" I think I could have tied it in a knot when I first took it out.
The canoe has screws that hold the top wood rails together every 6" down the side. In that I had to screw through those exact hold and they would be covered on both sides by the wood where I could not see them, I had to run a line of Blue painters tape down the side of the canoe and use a square to mark their locations and the location of the seats, thwart and yoke.
Began sanding and marring up the parts...
2007 Sep. 23rd Canoe (7).jpg2007 Sep. 23rd Canoe (8).jpg
In that no stain was needed I used a high gloss marine spar varnish and rubbed it with 4 ought steel wood between coats to bring out the wood charter.
2007 Sep. 23rd Canoe (10).jpg2007 Sep. 23rd Canoe (12).jpg
Finished it up about just in time to start deer hunting...
2007 Sep. 27th Canoe (1).JPG2007 Sep. 27th Canoe (3).JPG2007 Sep. 27th Canoe (6).JPG
Next spring I took it to one of my lease Lakes and tried it out.
2009 May 9th Canoe (3).jpg
A little trip down the Lumber River,
2009 May 23rd Lumber River (1).JPG2009 May 23rd Lumber River (10).JPG
Even Got Mrs. Captain catching small mouth in the New River.
2009 Aug. 8th Sparta Trip-04.JPG
And the last time this thing was used... What a weekend!
2010 July Shenandoah River (22).jpg2010 July Shenandoah River (66).JPG
THAT trip needs a repeat!!!
Take Care, Captain
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Originally Posted by BarryBobPosthole
